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Bakersfield Life's Dream 18

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While gazing out at the open fields and the distant mountains on the tee box of Buena Vista Golf Course’s 10th hole, the flowing traffic on Hageman Road can be seen south of the third hole at The Links at RiverLakes Ranch.
A little further in the sightline is the lake that sits glistening between the tee and green on No. 5 at Rio Bravo Country Club. Continuing into the distance is the quirky, double dogleg of Wasco Valley Rose’s No. 9.

This dream round of golf continues with each hole presenting a new challenge and topography while magically jumping from course to course. After making the turn, the golfer hits a huge drive and still sits more than 300 yards away on the uphill 11th at Rio Bravo with the barren foothills of Northeast Bakersfield to the east. That’s followed several holes later by the mansions surrounding the daring sixth hole on the Lakes Course at Seven Oaks Country Club.
The round comes to a close directly beneath Bear Mountain on Sycamore Canyon’s 13th-hole gem that might feature more risk-reward options than any other hole in the area.

A pinch to the arm proves that this truly is a dream – Bakersfield Life’s Dream 18. It is fantasy golf at its finest; a layout of the Bakersfield area’s top holes.
Bakersfield Life joined forces with Jim Kiger, PGA Head Golf Professional at Rio Bravo Country Club, and Gary Johnson, Assistant Pro at Buena Vista Golf Course, along with interviews with numerous local amateurs to look at the area’s 11 local golf courses and come up with this Dream 18. The criteria were simple, using everything from beauty, challenge, intrigue, how memorable a hole is and simple enjoyment of play as guides to picking these 18 holes.

The result was a par 72 golf course that would be long on its looks, but even longer in length. If this track were real, it would play at a blistering 7,279 yards from the tips. Water comes into play on eight of the holes – think about bringing an extra sleeve of balls to this course.

But with the difficulty comes a couple of par 5s that are reachable in two shots and enough fun holes mixed in with the monsters to make the Dream 18 a classic.
This list is clearly subjective and will hopefully lead to many discussions over a cold one on the 19th hole for individual golfers to come up with their own Dream 18. But every discussion needs a starting point, and this one will begin here:

Bakersfield Life’s Dream 18.

1. Buena Vista Golf Course
10th hole, par 4, 410 yards
This dream round of golf begins with a beautiful, extremely fun-to-play hole. Buena Vista’s 10th isn’t as quirky as it once was when it featured a bell at the bottom of the hill to alert the group on the tee that the fairway was clear, but the enjoyment level is still there. A great view from the tee is followed by a wide-open, downhill tee shot that can leave just a chip to the green. That green is huge and slopes from back to front but a good short game will give golfers a shot at birdie to open this Dream 18 under par.

2. The Links at RiverLakes Ranch
3rd hole, par 3, 181 yards
Par 3s don’t need to be 200-plus yards with an island green to be difficult, and No. 3 at RiverLakes is certainly proof of that. Distance control is absolutely necessary to put the ball on the correct ledge of this two-tiered green. With the pin on top, putts left short from the bottom tier have been known to settle back at the golfer’s feet on this outrageous green. And don’t even think about missing the green – the consistency of the dirt wasteland around the green varies and makes for an incredibly difficult shot.

3. Sundale Country Club
10th hole, par 4, 471 yards
At 471 yards, Sundale’s No. 10 is the second longest par 4 in the area and it plays every bit as long as the 471 yards suggests. Luckily, the fairway is wide open to grip it and rip it, but errant tee shots produce awkward lies from the 18th fairway to the right or a dead-grass wasteland to the left with trees between. The biggest hitters will have a mid-to-long iron approach, but most golfers will need to pull out as much club as they have in their bag and some will still come up short. Par is a great score here.

4. Wasco Valley Rose
9th hole, par 5, 551 yards
A trip to Wasco for Valley Rose’s ninth hole is next, featuring a beautiful risk-reward, double-dogleg hole. It starts quick with a tee shot that must carry at least some of a lake that borders the right side of the fairway, but playing too safe isn’t an option with trees hugging the left. Those trees will have to be negotiated for the second shot and a decision has to be made on whether to attempt to go over or through the trees to the big green, or lay up at the sharp dogleg left. Once around the corner, the rest of the hole is where the scoring takes place with an inviting green guarded by just one bunker in the front right.

5. Seven Oaks Country Club
2nd hole (Lakes Course), par 4, 406 yards
While Seven Oaks features numerous memorable holes, this one is both challenging and fun to play. No. 2 on the Lakes Course stays true to its name and the dogleg right wraps around a lake. The tee shot will certainly cause a timid golfer to shake in his Footjoys. The ball needs to play as close to the right side of the fairway as possible to set up the easiest possible second shot, and the rough to the left simply doesn’t allow many to reach the green in two. The second shot will need to cover water to reach the unguarded green.

6. Rio Bravo Country Club
5th hole, par 3, 223 yards
A dive to the bottom of the lake between tee and green at Rio Bravo’s No. 5 would surely find a bounty of Titleists. A fear of water is not good here as this 223-yard par 3 – typically playing into the wind – requires about 190 yards to carry the lake. Poor play here is additionally embarrassing as club members pass the guard shack bordering the hole. The green is small, making this hole that much tougher.

7. Bakersfield Country Club
4th hole, par 4, 455 yards
If Bakersfield Country Club’s 4th hole was just 455 yards, it would be tough enough. But considering the Northeast Bakersfield prevailing wind typically sails directly into the face of the golfer on this hole, it plays at least 20-30 yards longer than the 455 yards listed on the scorecard. While the layout of this hole is straightforward, the challenge of this hole makes it memorable – a big tee shot needs to find the fairway followed by a long iron or even a fairway metal approach. Hit both shots perfect and par is a piece of cake. If only golf were that easy.

8. The Links at RiverLakes Ranch
10th hole, par 5, 572 yards
Kiger calls this hole “an excellent three-shot par 5,” and it certainly is that. The prevailing wind is typically a quartering wind into the golfer from the left, making this long hole play even longer. While the out of bounds to the left and right off the tee shouldn’t come into play, those looking to cut the corner on this dogleg right could catch the corner of the driving range adding a penalty stroke to the score. Fairway bunkers abound while water sits along the right side and behind the huge green.

9. Stockdale Country Club
14th hole, par 4, 454 yards
Rounding out the front nine is a hole where low scores don’t come easily. This is Stockdale Country Club at its best with an incredibly narrow fairway lined with mature trees and nasty rough. At 454 yards, there is no playing safe here – driver is the choice off the tee. But missing the fairway means bogey or worse. The long, skinny green is difficult to hit, especially considering that approach shots will be 200 or more yards for some golfers.

10. Bakersfield Country Club
16th hole, par 4, 295 yards
The back nine begins with a break from the length of the majority of the front nine, but this hole is hardly a cakewalk. Despite being just 295 yards – the second shortest par 4 in the Bakersfield area – Bakersfield Country Club’s tough layout doesn’t make this an easily drivable hole. There is an opening between the three bunkers surrounding the green to roll a ball up, but the forest-like trees on either side of the fairway turn mis-hit tee shots into bogeys.

11. Rio Bravo Country Club
11th hole, par 5, 616 yards
On the 11th and 12th holes of this Dream 18, golfers would have to cover nearly 1,100 yards in nine strokes to maintain par. The 11th at Rio Bravo is widely considered the most difficult hole in Kern County and it’s no surprise. This 616-yard uphill par 5 with a fairway that slopes from left to right is a beast. It is difficult to determine just how severe the upslope is on this hole until standing on the green looking back. Golfers hope to stand on that green with three strokes taken, but few live up to that dream.

12. Rio Bravo Country Club
12th hole, par 4, 392 yards
Staying at Rio Bravo comes easy considering that course designer Robert Muir Graves left a bit of relief after the 11th. This is one of the most fun-to-play holes on the Rio Bravo track, but make no mistake, it is a challenge. The elevation gained on No. 11 is given back on 12, making this a severely downhill hole that plays much shorter than its 392 yards. The fairway curls around a hill with a lake sitting at the bottom ready to swallow tee shots that don’t shape to the hole. The green is tucked away between the lake and the hill creating a beautiful finish to a fun hole.

13. Seven Oaks Country Club (Lakes Course)
6th hole, par 3, 226 yards
Maybe the toughest par 3 in Bakersfield, Seven Oaks presents a huge challenge on the sixth hole of its Lakes Course. There is a big lake that borders the hole to the right and creeps toward the green at the end of the hole. Not only is this hole long, it also typically plays into the wind and all shots off the tee have to deal with a green that starts incredibly narrow and widens at the back. There is also a bunker on the right to deal with and sand saves here are few and far between.

14. North Kern Golf Course
6th hole, par 4, 443 yards
While not the most beautiful hole in Bakersfield, this No. 1 handicap hole at North Kern is memorable for another reason: it’s tough. Typical of many holes at North Kern, No. 6 is wide open and long, requiring a big tee shot into a landing area that does narrow slightly, followed by an approach to a green that is not only small, but is also guarded in the front by bunkers on both the right and left sides. Missing the fairway makes par nearly impossible.

15. Sycamore Canyon Golf Course
9th hole, par 5, 592 yards
The final par 5 on the Dream 18 requires a trip to the southeast corner of the valley for maybe this area’s most underrated par 5. Sycamore’s long ninth hole has everything a golfer could ask for – it’s difficult, it’s memorable and there is the ability to score if everything goes well. The tee shot is pretty straightforward, but big hitters can reach the lake on the right side of the fairway. But those big hitters will also be able to make a decision of hitting over the water to the huge green or playing safe. The approach to the green features water and massive bunkers surrounding possibly the largest green in the area. This is truly a memorable hole.


16. Buena Vista Golf Course
16th hole, par 4, 320 yards
This is the last good chance on this Dream 18 to score, so head to the box at Buena Vista’s No. 16 ready for a sub-par score. Reaching the green off the tee is certainly possible with the hole playing uphill with the wind typically at the player’s back, but don’t expect to simply roll the ball onto the green. Two huge bunkers guard this green with only a slim patch of grass in the middle for a lucky ball with plenty of momentum to reach the green. The smarter shot would be a long iron off the tee, leaving an easy chip and a short putt for birdie.

17. Kern River Golf Course
17th hole, par 3, 222 yards
While not the longest par 3 at Kern River, this one is much more treacherous. The tee box and green are nearly level, but the ground between drops off and leaves a side-hill lie for anyone leaving a tee shot short and left. Anything short off the tee leaves a blind shot to the green at the top of the hill. This is certainly a tough par, but one a golfer can be proud of.

18. Sycamore Canyon Golf Course
13th hole, par 4, 446 yards
Despite being Sycamore Canyon’s 13th hole, this hole would be a perfect ending to a challenging but memorable day on the Dream 18. Risk-reward is the name of the game here. The hole doglegs to the right at about an 80-degree angle with a lake nestling up against the right side of the fairway. Off the box, the question is simple: How much of this corner can be cut? Taking a safe shot with an iron down the fairway is an option but will leave at least 200 yards to the green. Most golfers opt to cut the corner, but picking the correct line is important to ensure clearing the water and missing the palm trees around the lake. To make things even more difficult, a small drainage ditch runs across the fairway at the 100-yard marker turning perfect-looking drives into very tough second shots. And the green is tiny, too. This is the perfect ending to Bakersfield Life’s Dream 18 with equal opportunities for birdie and double bogey to make or break a round.